The FAA published this sample set in August 2021. Our answers were checked against the current regulations and against the testing-supplement figures in September 2026.
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Weather
1. What are characteristics of a moist, unstable air mass?
Why: Unstable air rises readily, building cumulus clouds that bring turbulence and showers. Visibility is usually good outside the showers. Smooth air, haze and smoke are signs of stable air.
2. According to 14 CFR part 107, how may a remote pilot operate an unmanned aircraft in Class C airspace?
Why: Class B, C, D and surface-area Class E airspace all need ATC authorization before you fly, normally obtained through LAANC or DroneZone. Monitoring or calling ATC after launch does not satisfy it.
3. According to 14 CFR part 107 the remote pilot in command (PIC) of a small unmanned aircraft planning to operate within Class C airspace
Why: Same rule as the previous question, asked differently: controlled airspace requires prior ATC authorization. No flight plan or visual observer is required.
4. What effect does high density altitude have on the efficiency of a UA propeller?
Why: High density altitude means thinner air. Each propeller revolution moves less air, so thrust and efficiency drop. Hot, high and humid conditions all raise density altitude.
5. (Refer to FAA-CT-8080-2H, Figure 22, area 2.) At Coeur D`Alene which frequency should be used as a Common Traffic Advisory Frequency (CTAF) to monitor airport traffic?
Figure 22, area 2 — Sectional chartOpen reference image
From the FAA testing supplement (FAA-CT-8080-2H). Tap the image to open it full size.
Why: The CTAF is the frequency next to the C in a solid circle in the airport data block, 122.8 at Coeur d'Alene. 135.075 is the AWOS weather frequency, not a traffic frequency.
6. Which technique should a remote pilot use to scan for traffic? A remote pilot should
Why: The eye only sees detail when it stops and focuses, so scan in short pauses across segments of the sky. A continuous sweep sees very little, and a collision threat often shows no relative movement at all.
7. (Refer to FAA-CT-8080-2H, Figure 2.) If an unmanned airplane weighs 33 pounds, what approximate weight would the airplane structure be required to support during a 30° banked turn while maintaining altitude?
Figure 2 — Load factor chartOpen reference image
From the FAA testing supplement (FAA-CT-8080-2H). Tap the image to open it full size.
Why: The load factor chart gives about 1.154 G in a level 30-degree bank. 33 x 1.154 is about 38 pounds.
9. (Refer to FAA-CT-8080-2H, Figure 20, area 3.) With ATC authorization, you are operating your small unmanned aircraft approximately 4 SM southeast of Elizabeth City Regional Airport (ECG). What hazard is indicated to be in that area?
Figure 20, area 3 — Sectional chartOpen reference image
From the FAA testing supplement (FAA-CT-8080-2H). Tap the image to open it full size.
Why: The chart note warns of an unmarked balloon on a cable to 3,008 feet. Chart altitudes are MSL unless stated as AGL.
10. (Refer to FAA-CT-8080-2H, Figure 21.) You have been hired by a farmer to use your small UA to inspect his crops. The area that you are to survey is in the Devil`s Lake West MOA, east of area 2. How would you find out if the MOA is active?
Figure 21, area 2 — Sectional chartOpen reference image
From the FAA testing supplement (FAA-CT-8080-2H). Tap the image to open it full size.
Why: Every sectional carries a special use airspace table in its legend margin listing each MOA's altitudes, times of use and controlling agency. The other two sources do not exist.
11. The most comprehensive information on a given airport is provided by
Why: The Chart Supplement has the full entry for each airport: runways, frequencies, services, remarks. NOTAMs cover temporary changes only; a TAC is a chart.
13. (Refer to FAA-CT-8080-2H, Figure 26, area 4.) You have been hired to inspect the tower under construction at 46.9N and 98.6W, near Jamestown Regional (JMS). What must you receive prior to flying your unmanned aircraft in this area?
Figure 26, area 4 — Sectional chartOpen reference image
From the FAA testing supplement (FAA-CT-8080-2H). Tap the image to open it full size.
Why: The tower sits inside the dashed magenta line around Jamestown, Class E airspace that begins at the surface. Controlled airspace from the surface up needs ATC authorization.
14. (Refer to FAA-CT-8080-2H, Figure 20, area 5.) How would a remote PIC "CHECK NOTAMS" as noted in the CAUTION box regarding the unmarked balloon?
Figure 20, area 5 — Sectional chartOpen reference image
From the FAA testing supplement (FAA-CT-8080-2H). Tap the image to open it full size.
Why: NOTAMs come through a flight service briefing, and 1800wxbrief.com is the FAA's online flight service. B4UFLY shows airspace advisories but is not the official NOTAM source the question is after.
16. You have been hired as a remote pilot by a local TV news station to film breaking news with a small UA. You expressed a safety concern and the station manager has instructed you to `fly first, ask questions later.` What type of hazardous attitude does this attitude represent?
Why: Acting first and thinking later is impulsivity. The antidote is: not so fast, think first.
17. A local TV station has hired a remote pilot to operate their small UA to cover news stories. The remote pilot has had multiple near misses with obstacles on the ground and two small UAS accidents. What would be a solution for the news station to improve their operating safety culture?
Why: A safety culture fixes the cause: recognise the hazardous attitudes and situations and write procedures around them. Accepting a quota of crashes, or accepting them as unavoidable, fixes nothing.
18. (Refer to FAA-CT-8080-2H, Figure 26, area 2.) While monitoring the Cooperstown CTAF you hear an aircraft announce that they are midfield left downwind to RWY 13. Where would the aircraft be relative to the runway?
Figure 26, area 2 — Sectional chartOpen reference image
From the FAA testing supplement (FAA-CT-8080-2H). Tap the image to open it full size.
Why: Runway 13 points about 130 degrees, to the southeast. A left-hand pattern keeps the runway on the pilot's left, which puts the downwind leg on the northeast side of the runway, so the aircraft is east of it.
19. To avoid a possible collision with a manned airplane, you estimate that your small UA climbed to an altitude greater than 600 feet AGL. To whom must you report the deviation?
Why: In an in-flight emergency the remote PIC may deviate from the rules as needed, and must send a written report only if the FAA asks for one. There is no automatic report to ATC or the NTSB.
20. When operating an unmanned airplane, the remote pilot should consider that the load factor on the wings may be increased any time
Why: Maneuvering can increase the load factor on an aircraft. For example, maintaining altitude in a banked turn requires additional lift, so load factor increases as bank angle increases; pull-ups and atmospheric gusts can also increase aircraft loads. The key wording in the FAA question is "may be increased": not every maneuver necessarily creates a load factor greater than 1 G.
21. A stall occurs when the smooth airflow over the unmanned airplane`s wing is disrupted and the lift degenerates rapidly. This is caused when the wing
Why: A wing stalls when it exceeds its critical angle of attack, at any airspeed, attitude or weight.
22. Safety is an important element for a remote pilot to consider prior to operating an unmanned aircraft system. To prevent the final "link" in the accident chain, a remote pilot must consider which methodology?
Why: Risk management is the pilot's process of identifying hazards and breaking the chain of events before it ends in an accident.
23. You are a remote pilot for a co-op energy service provider. You are to use your UA to inspect power lines in a remote area 15 hours away from your home office. After the drive, fatigue impacts your abilities to complete your assignment on time. Fatigue can be recognized
Why: Fatigue impairs judgement much as alcohol does, and the person affected is often the last to notice. Experience does not make it easy to spot, and sleep loss cannot be willed away.
24. (Refer to FAA-CT-8080-2H, Figure 21.) What airport is located approximately 47 (degrees) 40 (minutes) N latitude and 101 (degrees) 26 (minutes) W longitude?
Figure 21 — Sectional chartOpen reference image
From the FAA testing supplement (FAA-CT-8080-2H). Tap the image to open it full size.
Why: Find 47 degrees 40 minutes north on the side scale and 101 degrees 26 minutes west on the top scale. They cross at Garrison.
From the FAA testing supplement (FAA-CT-8080-2H). Tap the image to open it full size.
Why: The KMDW report (a SPECI, an unscheduled METAR) reads 1 1/2SM RA OVC007. Cloud heights are in hundreds of feet, so OVC007 is overcast at 700 feet. RA without a plus sign is moderate rain, not heavy.
27. According to 14 CFR part 107, what is required to operate a small UA within 30 minutes after official sunset?
Why: During civil twilight, the 30 minutes before sunrise and after sunset, the aircraft needs anti-collision lighting visible for 3 statute miles. Drones may not use transponders under Part 107 without FAA authorization.
28. To ensure that the unmanned aircraft center of gravity (CG) limits are not exceeded, follow the aircraft loading instructions specified in the
Why: Loading limits are specific to the aircraft, so they come from its own manual. The AIM and the Weight and Balance Handbook are general references.
30. (Refer to FAA-CT-8080-2H, Figure 59, area 2.) The chart shows a gray line with "VR1667, VR1617, VR1638, and VR1668." Could this area present a hazard to the operations of a small UA?
Figure 59, area 2 — Sectional chartOpen reference image
From the FAA testing supplement (FAA-CT-8080-2H). Tap the image to open it full size.
Why: These are military training routes. A four-digit number means the route is flown at or below 1,500 feet AGL, which puts fast military jets down where drones fly.
32. Under what condition should the operator of a small UA establish scheduled maintenance protocol?
Why: FAA guidance (AC 107-2A) recommends following the manufacturer's maintenance schedule. If the manufacturer does not provide one, set up your own, so the aircraft is kept in the condition for safe operation that 14 CFR 107.15 requires.
35. According to 14 CFR part 48, when must a person register a small UA with the Federal Aviation Administration?
Why: Anything weighing more than 0.55 pounds must be registered, whatever it is used for. Lighter drones are exempt only under the recreational exception; a drone under 250 g flown under Part 107 must still be registered.
37. When using a small UA in a commercial operation, who is responsible for briefing the participants about emergency procedures?
Why: Before flight the remote PIC must make sure everyone involved in the operation knows the operating conditions, emergency procedures, contingency procedures, roles and hazards.
Why: Stable air resists vertical movement, so haze and pollutants stay trapped near the ground and clouds form in flat layers that give steady precipitation.
39. You have received an outlook briefing from flight service through 1800wxbrief.com. The briefing indicates you can expect a low-level temperature inversion with high relative humidity. What weather conditions would you expect?
Why: An inversion is very stable air. The air stays smooth, but moisture and haze are trapped beneath it, giving fog, haze or low cloud.
42. Where must a small unmanned aircraft’s serial number be listed when using either standard remote identification or a broadcast module?
Why: The Remote ID serial number, of the aircraft or of the broadcast module, goes on your registration in DroneZone and appears on the Certificate of Aircraft Registration. A declaration of compliance is the manufacturer's document, not yours, and for a broadcast module it lists the module's serial number, not the aircraft's, so it can't be the answer for both cases.
43. When preparing for a night flight, what should an sUAS pilot be aware of after assembling and conducting a preflight of an aircraft while using a bright flashlight or work light?
Why: Full dark adaptation takes about 30 minutes, and one exposure to bright light can undo it. A dim red light preserves night vision far better than a bright white one.
44. To conduct Category 1 operations, a remote pilot in command must use a small unmanned aircraft that weighs
Why: Category 1 covers aircraft of 0.55 pounds or less, including everything on board or attached, at takeoff and throughout the operation, with no exposed rotating parts that could lacerate skin.
46. Your surveying company is a title sponsor for a race team at the Indianapolis 500. To promote your new aerial surveying department, you decide to video part of the race using a small UA. The FAA has issued a Temporary Flight Restriction (TFR) for the race in the area you plan to fly. In this situation
Why: A TFR applies to drones as much as to manned aircraft. Sponsorship and notifying spectators change nothing; only specific FAA authorization lets you fly inside it.
